At on time most of humanity worked under the sun in the fresh air. Our ‘offices’ were roofed by sun-dappled trees and hand carpets of tender green; our walls were rough brown barks.

In Charlie Chaplionesque ‘Modern Times’, tin roofs blotted out the sun and went to work in brick and steel structures. The office, in banal grey and beige, was the perfect machine to work in. Churning out machine-age products and people.

Today, we were in the world of ideas, even the notion of an office is an idea, it is a table in a home, a slim hot-desk in a corridor, a plastic seat or a plug-point at some transit airport. Ideas travel. We share them with colleagues and clients. They travel across distances and time. As day turns to night and light dawns elsewhere, time and space boundaries blur. As do distinctions between work and home in a 24/7 world space. In a connected world, we are always at work. So it is imperative that we are happy at work.

The office, as we know it, dates back to a little over 125years. The turn of the 19th century, around 1875, coincided with the invention of the light bulb, the typewriter, the elevator, the telephone and the building of skyscrapers. Invented within a span of 15years, these were the catalysts that spurred the creation of the 20th century office.
Today these “rules” for an office don’t apply. Workspaces have moved on, influenced by social and rapid technological changes.

Though offices still remain the physical setting for us to meet, connect and do business, we strive for a vari-coloured visual experience. We anticipate exciting interactions with colleagues and stimulating work environments that create a kaleidoscope of opportunities. Mechanical device enveloped us in the 20th century office. The electronics of the 21st century have freed us from this box.

Emerging technologies such as the internet, email, mobile phones and video-conferencing have redefined the way offices function. Our screens are the windows to the world. Today’s office is about buildings communication, not monuments. It is about people not prestige. Offices are more people-centred. Open spaces allow people communicate easily. Glassed cabins hint at transparent dealings. Joyous coffee-break areas can draw discussions to a delectation end. Comfortable lounge areas allow a bit of space for personal reflection.

There is much more flexibility. The size of your workspace is no longer your status, it’s how you work and lead people. People work in teams and even those grouping and linkages change constantly. Given this constant evolution, when we were asked to design surface materials and colours for BP Ergo Modular office system we had to find an anchoring idea amongst the change. We based our colours and materials concepts on the way management constructs are defining office processes, and its influence on office interiors.

As designers, we are stimulated by visual and sensorial cues; trend forecasts, mood boards, imagery on travels, a dinner platter arrangement, a simple coffee mug, a fleeting fragrance; even the world in a song. In terms of trends, deeper colours have given way to more optimistic, fresher and younger colours. No surprise, as the average age of the new office-goer is much younger! Surface pattern has given way to material texture. Colours appear as transparent glass and acrylic; or as pearl and metallic finishes.

As a counterpoint to this, there is the movement toward materials respecting the nature intent and content of the product. In choice of woods, there’s a slant towards figured wood grains, textured fabrics and materials that are warm to the touch. Seamless, countered and artisanal are three system and space design mantras we hear.

STORYTELLING:

The colour of choice is… Pleasure at work! Officers narrate a story about their brands. The story of the company’s growth is told by the way their space and interiors are designed. The brand, product or service as present in the market place, is reflected in the workplace. The choice of space, volume size and planes, materials and colour in the office are a narration of the company’s policy and benefit. It is no longer a boring office that says the same thing as all other. The interior elements of the office also crate brand differentiation. The brand or tag line is converted into the same experience for its employees and visitors.

Typically, this approach to design is following for big brand manufactures and service providers such as car companies, technology providers, sports goods or news, television and music network. The telling of the storey may be serious, whimsical, or amusing. But there is always an element of surprise, hidden in the narration.

CONNECTING:

The colour of connection is… Harmony at work. There is a new nature of business processes today. Clients and businesses work together to achieve business goals. People are working in set of colleagues. The office is just one foxed point in a network that straddles a virtual world. People pass through this node as one of knowledge, and ideas. Every person is a locus in an ever-extending web of dynamic teams. With so much moving shifting, the spaces also have to be changeable! Colours need to connect with each other, just like people do.

Multipurpose spaces, workstations, meeting rooms and breakout areas allow for the germination, nurturing and execution of ideas. In the connected office, you are not tethered in time or space. Thinking time is accepted as doing time.

COMMUNITY:

The colour of comfort is…Familiarity at work. In some companies, employees are the true office-owner. This is where they spend a lot of their time. To the extent that the office is a home away from home, it has to be grounded and comfortable.The office layout is modeled on the locality we live in. there may be an open ‘park’ or atrium, a corner store, a bank, tea shop, magazine kiosk and postal service. The office recreates a community by encouraging simple everyday contact, chai-breaks and birthday celebrations. We run into friends and acquaintances in our gurukul training rooms, smoking areas, the cafeteria, and corridors or at the caroms table. We call out to them over low walls or seek them out in their cabins.